Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.12 EPS

Charles River Associates (NASDAQ:CRAI) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The business services provider reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.12, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $214.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $199.04 million. Charles River Associates had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 6.20%.

Here are the key takeaways from Charles River Associates’ conference call:

• CRA posted record third-quarter revenue of $214.9 million, up 15.6% year over year, with record net income, diluted EPS and EBITDA. Seven practices grew, and Forensic Services, Life Sciences, and Risk, Investigations & Analytics each delivered double-digit revenue growth.
• Management raised fiscal 2026 constant-currency revenue guidance to $830 million–$840 million, from $805 million–$820 million, and narrowed its non-GAAP EBITDA margin outlook to 12.2%–12.8%.
• Weekly project lead flow and new project originations each increased more than 20% year over year; consultant utilization reached 78%, and headcount grew 6.2%. Management said it remains comfortable with mid-single-digit headcount growth for the full year, rather than guiding to high-single-digit growth.
• CRA raised its quarterly dividend 17.5% to $0.67 per share, marking its tenth consecutive annual increase. The company returned $60.3 million to shareholders year to date through dividends and share repurchases.
• Global M&A activity fell 41% sequentially in the third quarter, and management said it is monitoring whether the slowdown is temporary or a broader trend. CRA also expects fiscal 2026 non-cash forgivable-loan amortization expense to rise by about $15 million year over year.

Charles River Associates Trading Down 2.6%

Charles River Associates stock opened at $197.66 on Friday. Charles River Associates has a 12 month low of $132.17 and a 12 month high of $227.29. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $176.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $166.08. The firm has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 24.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.64.

Charles River Associates Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This is a boost from Charles River Associates’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Charles River Associates’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.36%.

Insider Activity

In other Charles River Associates news, EVP Jonathan Yellin sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.25, for a total transaction of $389,812.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,932,257.25. The trade was a 16.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Charles River Associates News

Here are the key news stories impacting Charles River Associates this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings were $2.19 per share, above analyst estimates of $2.06–$2.07 and up from $2.06 a year earlier. Revenue of $214.9 million also topped the roughly $199 million consensus, a notable beat that may support the stock. Article: CRA International Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: CRA raised its FY 2026 revenue guidance to $830 million–$840 million, above the $814.2 million consensus, signaling stronger expected revenue than analysts had projected.
• Positive Sentiment: The company increased its quarterly dividend by 17.5%, from $0.57 to $0.67 per share. The new payout equates to $2.68 annually, or an indicated yield of about 1.3%; shareholders of record November 24 are scheduled to be paid December 11. Article: CRA Increases Quarterly Cash Dividend

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised Charles River Associates from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.00.

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates, operating as CRA International, Inc, is a global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and management consulting services. The company advises corporations, law firms, government agencies, and other organizations on complex business, legal, regulatory, and strategic matters.

CRA’s services include economic and financial analysis for litigation and regulatory proceedings, antitrust and competition consulting, corporate strategy, business performance improvement, and investigations.